The ten largest airlines in the United States have warned that the upcoming launch of 5G mobile phone services will cause “major disruption” to flights.
They said that the launch of Verizon and AT&T 5G mobile phone services on Wednesday will result in a “completely avoidable economic calamity”
Airlines are concerned that C-band 5G transmissions would interfere with aircraft navigation systems, particularly those employed in adverse weather. The warning was delivered to US aviation authorities in the form of a letter.
“Immediate intervention is needed to avoid significant operational disruption to air passengers, shippers, supply chain and delivery of needed medical supplies” including vaccine distribution, said the CEOs of American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and United Airlines, among others.
The airlines want 5G signals kept out of “the approximate two miles of airport runways at affected airports as defined by the FAA on 19 January 2022” “We further request that the FAA identify those base stations closest to key airport runways that need to be addressed to ensure safety and avoid disruption,” they added. “This will allow 5G to be deployed while avoiding harmful impacts on the aviation industry, traveling public, supply chain, vaccine distribution, our workforce, and broader economy.” The two major plane makers, Airbus and Boeing, recently expressed their worries in a rare joint statement.
“Airplane manufacturers have informed us that there are huge swathes of the operating fleet that may need to be indefinitely grounded. ” the airline company stated. This dearth of serviceable wide-body planes may possibly strand tens of thousands of Americans overseas, in addition to the home upheaval.” The FAA, which monitors aviation safety in the United States, announced on Sunday that “an estimated 45 percent of the US commercial fleet to perform low-visibility landings at many of the airports where 5G C-band will be deployed”
According to the FAA, “two radio altimeter models that are installed in a wide variety of Boeing and Airbus planes” have been certified.
“Even with these new approvals, flights at some airports may still be affected,” the agency stated.
“The FAA is also working with manufacturers to figure out how radar altimeter data is used in other flight control systems. If weather is expected at a place where 5G interference is probable, passengers should verify with their airlines.” Phone companies have invested tens of billions of dollars modernizing their networks in order to implement 5G technology, which provides significantly faster internet speeds and more connection.
Because of the aviation concerns, there have already been many delays, with launch dates in December and earlier this month also being pushed back.
CTIA, a trade association for the wireless sector in the United States, has previously stated that 5G is safe and accused the aviation industry of scaremongering and misrepresenting facts.
“There will be serious consequences if there is a delay. Delaying deployment by a year will cost $50 billion in economic development at a time when our country is still recovering and rebuilding from the epidemic “In a blog post in November, CTIA CEO Meredith Attwell Baker stated.